Losing someone dear to you due to a senseless pedestrian accident is a horrific event. Contact our Salt Lake City wrongful death attorney Joseph Jardine now to get the ball rolling on compensation for your loss and justice for your deceased loved one.

Utah Pedestrian-Auto Fatalities Declines

New information from a Governors Highway Safety Association study indicates that while the national rate of auto versus pedestrian deaths is on the rise, Utah’s rate is on the decline. Still, the rate of pedestrian deaths makes up 15 percent of all road fatalities throughout the state, even though they account for only 1.5 percent of total traffic accidents, notes the Utah Department of Public Safety. For 2019 so far, there have been five pedestrian fatalities on Utah’s roadways, which accounts for 23 percent of the road fatalities for the year.

Utah Department of Public Safety Vulnerable Uses program manager Marques Varela says that the highest number of pedestrian deaths in Utah occurred in 2015, when 49 pedestrians were killed. That number decreased to 39 in 2018.

If you lost a loved one due to a pedestrian accident, Jardine Law Offices, P.C. and our Salt Lake City wrongful death attorney can help you hold the at-fault party responsible. Contact us right away to discuss the details of your case.

The Governors Highway Safety Association Study revealed that nearly 6,300 pedestrians died across the U.S. in 2018, which is up 4 percent from the previous year and amounts to the largest number of pedestrian deaths since 1990. The study’s authors are unsure of the underlying factors contributing to the nationwide rise of pedestrian fatalities, but they think that intoxicated driving, distracted driving, busier schedules for drivers and increased speed limits may all play a part. The association says that drivers can help avoid pedestrian fatalities by paying attention, avoiding cell phone use while driving, and obeying posted speed limits. Pedestrians can do their part by looking out for themselves, following the rules of the road, crossing at marked crosswalks, and being aware of their surroundings.

Utah’s Office of Public Safety believes that Utah’s lower numbers compared to other states may have a lot to do with a campaign launched by the state to curb pedestrian myths, such as that the pedestrian always has the right-of-way and the myth that if a driver sees the pedestrian, the car has time to stop. Police officers have also been enforcing crosswalk laws in greater numbers.

Safety organization Zero Fatalities analyzed data from pedestrian crashes in Salt Lake and Utah Counties from 2010 to 2016 to determine the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians. The 10 intersections on its list were home to 100 pedestrian fatalities during those years. They include:

4100 South and Redwood Road, on the border of West Valley City and Taylorsville

4500 South and State Street, Murray

7800 South and 700 East, Sandy

7200 South and State Street, Midvale

3500 South and 4000 West, West Valley City

3300 South and State Street, South Salt Lake

900 East and Fort Union Boulevard, Midvale

900 East and 2100 South, Salt Lake City

1300 East and 400 South, Salt Lake City

3500 South and Redwood Road, West Valley City

Losing someone dear to you due to a senseless pedestrian accident is a horrific event. Contact our Salt Lake City wrongful death attorney at Jardine Law Offices, P.C. now to get the ball rolling on compensation for your loss and justice for your deceased loved one.